The invention is directed to a device for measuring temperature in molten metals with an optical fiber, which is connected directly or indirectly to a measurement instrument and which is held by a carrier. The immersion end of the fiber is guided by a body that can be consumed in the melt. The invention is further directed to a method for measuring temperature in molten metals with an optical fiber, which is connected directly or indirectly to a measurement instrument and optionally to a detector and which is held by a carrier.
Such devices are known, for example, from European published patent application EP 655 613 A1. In the device described there, the optical fiber has a protective cladding consisting of several layers. The protective cladding dissolves at a rate of 1 to 10 cm per second and therefore, after a relatively short time, the cladding can no longer provide optimum protection for the optical fiber. The protective cladding contains, among other things, particles with a melting point higher than the temperature of the molten metal to be measured.
Similar devices are known from Japanese published patent applications JP 03-126500 or JP 03-284709. In addition, the literature provides numerous references for the use of optical fibers in general for measurements in molten metals.